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#@¶&$*;=:¨ just off the coast to the baltic sea ¨:=;*$&¶@#
&$**=¨¨¨¨¨ there's a freshwater pond, secluded ¨¨¨¨¨=**$&
¶&***=¨¨¨¨ among ashen and juniper. a cleft in the ¨¨¨¨=***&¶
#@¶&$*;=:¨ limestone bedrock, sharp-cut from the ¨:=;*$&¶@#
#@¶&$*;=:¨ surrounding plains, a ninety degree ¨:=;*$&¶@#
##@¶&$*=:¨ drop down, down, to the midnight-black ¨:=*$&¶@##
&&$$$*;=:¨ water. ¨:=;*$$$&&
&&*=:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:=*&&
#@¶&$*;=:¨ ====********==== ¨:=;*$&¶@#
@@¶&$*;=:¨ ==** **== ¨:=;*$&¶@@
#@¶&$*;=:¨ =====** fairies live here. **===== ¨:=;*$&¶@#
@&&&$*;=:¨ ==** **== ¨:=;*$&&&@
#@¶&$*;=:¨ ====********==== ¨:=;*$&¶@#
¶&$*;::¨¨¨ ¨¨¨::;*$&¶
##@&$*;=:¨ they speak to the sloane, caress it, ¨:=;*$&@##
¶¶&**=::¨¨ urge it to grow thicker, tangled, with ¨¨::=**&¶¶
@&&*==::¨¨ longer and sharper thorns. they tell it ¨¨::==*&&@
@&****;=:¨ to stay just below the grass, so that ¨:=;****&@
@&*=:¨¨¨¨¨ the animals what come to drink the ¨¨¨¨¨:=*&@
#@¶&$*;=:¨ water cannot see it before it draws ¨:=;*$&¶@#
&&&*=¨¨¨¨¨ their blood. closer to the pond, the ¨¨¨¨¨=*&&&
#@¶&$*;=:¨ sloane can grow taller, being able to ¨:=;*$&¶@#
¶&&$;=¨¨¨¨ hide also in the juniper. ¨¨¨¨=;$&&¶
@@¶&$*;=:¨ ¨:=;*$&¶@@
&**;;:¨¨¨¨ the fairies will beckon the animals to ¨¨¨¨:;;**&
##@&$*;=:¨ push forward, tell them that they're ¨:=;*$&@##
&$$***;=:¨ almost at the water, that they may ¨:=;***$$&
#@¶&$*;=:¨ drink soon. and they will tug on the ¨:=;*$&¶@#
¶¶¶&$*;=:¨ sloane to make sure that the thorns cut ¨:=;*$&¶¶¶
&&*===¨¨¨¨ deep. when they finally find the path ¨¨¨¨===*&&
&$;=:¨¨¨¨¨ down between the rocks, away from the ¨¨¨¨¨:=;$&
@&*;=:¨¨¨¨ bushwork and into the cleft, they are ¨¨¨¨:=;*&@
#@¶&$*;=:¨ bleeding from a thousand wounds. as ¨:=;*$&¶@#
##¶&$*;=:¨ they drink from the dark water, it is ¨:=;*$&¶##
¶$$$*=:¨¨¨ in turn drinking the animals blood. ¨¨¨:=*$$$¶
¶&$$$*;=:¨ ¨:=;*$$$&¶
&$;=¨¨¨¨¨¨ the circle is complete, the contract ¨¨¨¨¨¨=;$&
#@¶&$*;=:¨ carried out; the animal is abandoned to ¨:=;*$&¶@#
##¶&$*;=:¨ find its own way back. the bushes roots ¨:=;*$&¶##
#@¶&$*;=:¨ drink the nutrutious water. the fairies ¨:=;*$&¶@#
¶$;==¨¨¨¨¨ dance in the sunbeams. ¨¨¨¨¨==;$¶
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